HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Jimmie Davis Sunshine

Jimmie Davis

Born to sharecroppers on 11 September 1899 in Louisiana, Jimmie Davis was a singer who also composed titles like 'By the Grave of Nobody's Darling' (1938), 'When It's Round-Up Time in Heaven' (1940) and 'I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair' (1942). It's unclear, however, what all titles credited to him were for authorial rather than legal reasons (Every now and then artists might receive credit, thus royalties, for compositions they didn't write as a form of payment or return for favors).

Jimmie was sibling to ten others. Even so, he earned a bachelor in history from Louisiana College. His master thesis in political science in 1927 at Louisiana State University was 'Comparative Intelligence of Whites, Blacks and Mulattoes'. The next year he began teaching college while also working radio at KWKH, home of the 'Louisiana Hayride' program in Shreveport, second to the 'Grand Ole Opry' in Nashville. While there Paramount paid him to travel to Chicago to make his first recordings in July or August of 1928 with James Enloe at piano: 'Ramona', 'Thinking of Me, Thinking of You', 'You'd Rather Forget Than Forgive' and 'Way Out on the Mountain'. Matrices are listed as for Doggone in Tony Russell's 'Country Music Records'. Two more tracks followed on December 4 for Columbia in Dallas with Allen Dees at guitar, but weren't issued: 'Nobody's Business' and 'Out of Town Blues'. (DAHR is known for confusing artists with the same name. This sessionography has a Jimmie Davis recording as early as 1927 with Cole McElroy, but that can't be the same Davis.)

'Ramona' Jimmie Davis

First-known recording to issue

Recorded July or August of 1928 at KWKH Radio in Chicago

Matrix 001 5204-2 Doggone 5204 / 5206

Piano: James Enloe

Composition: ?

Davis' next recorded in Memphis on September 19, 1929, to result in 'The Barroom Message' / 'The Baby's Lullaby'(Victor 50154) released that December per Discogs. 'Out of Town Blues' / 'Home Town Blues' saw release the next year.

'The Barroom Message' Jimmie Davis

19 Sep 1929 in Memphis TN Matrix BVE-55545 Victor V-40154

Steel guitar: Prentis Dumas

Composition: Davis

'Baby's Lullaby' Jimmie Davis

19 Sep 1929 in Memphis TN Matrix BVE-55546 Victor V-40154

Steel guitar: Prentis Dumas

Composition: Davis

'She's a Hum Dum Dinger' Jimmie Davis

20 May 1930 at the Memphis Auditorium in TN Matrix BVE-59952 Victor V-40286

Steel guitar: Ed Schaffer Guitar: Oscar Woods

Composition: Davis

'The Davis Limited' Jimmie Davis

26 May 1931 in Charlotte NC Matrix BVE-69356 Victor 23601

Guitar / Harmonica: Buddy Jones

Composition: Davis

'Red Nightgown Blues' Jimmie Davis

8 Feb 1932 in Dallas TX Matrix BVE-70658 Victor 23659 Bluebird B-5699

Steel guitar: Ed Schaffer Guitar: Oscar Woods

Composition: Davis

'Tom Cat and Pussy Blues' Jimmie Davis

3 Nov 1932 in Camden NJ Matrix BS-59060 Victor 23763 Bluebird B-6272

Guitar: Ed Davis

Composition: Davis

Davis' first title to chart on Billboard was his composition, 'Nobody's Darling but Mine', in 1937. Davis placed eight titles in all on Billboard according to Music VF:

     Nobody's Darling But Mine   #19   1937
   Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland   #13   1938
   Is It Too Late Now   #3   Nov 1944
   There's a Chill on the Hill Tonight   #4   Nov 1944
   There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder   #1   Feb 1945
   Grievin' My Heart Out for You   #4   March 1946
   Bang Bang   #4   Jan 1947
   Where the Old River Flows   #15   June 1962

'Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland' Jimmie Davis w Charles Mitchell and his Texans

21 Sep 1938 in San Antonio TX Matrix 64563 Decca 5616 Charts: #13

Violin: Bill Harper Ukulele: Ova Mitchell

Steel guitar: Charles Mitchell Guitar: Tex Swaim Upright bass: Hershel Woodal

Composition: Leo Friedman / Beth Slater Whitson

Though not making the list above, Jimmie's 'You Are My Sunshine' may well be the more famous. Composed in 1939 with Charles Mitchell, beginning that year with the Pine Ridge Boys this highly popular title has been covered numerously by a host of artists. Davis himself put down his first version on 5 February 1940, again in 1946 and 1959.

'You Are My Sunshine' Jimmie Davis

5 Feb 1940 in NYC Matrix 67157 Decca 5813

Steel guitar: Charles Mitchell Guitar: Leon Chappelear

Composition: Jimmie Davis / Charles Mitchell

Davis began to appear in films in 1942, his first two released in November that year: 'Riding Through Nevada' and 'Strictly in the Groove'. He commenced his first term as governor of Louisiana in 1944, hence to become the "singing governor" who performed on his campaign and during his career as a politician. Davis was a segregationist who during his first term established a state retirement system, funded more than $100,000,000 in public improvements and left a surplus of 35 million upon leaving office. In the meantime he starred in the Phil Karlson film 'Louisiana' in 1947, that based on his life.

'There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder' Jimmie Davis

27 March 1944 in Los Angeles Matrix L 3364 Decca 6105 Charts: #1

Trumpet: Don Anderson Piano: Moon Mullican Steel guitar: Charles Mitchell

Guitar: Perry Botkin Guitar: Joe Shelton Upright bass: Artie Shapiro

Composition: Ekko Whelan / Jimmie Davis / Lee Blastic

Excerpts from 'Louisiana' Jimmie Davis Film

Directed by Phil Karlson Released 15 Nov 1947

'Live and Let Live': Wiley Walker / Gene Sullivan

'Let's Be Sweethearts Again': Jimmie Davis / Vaughn Horton

IMDb Wikipedia

'Mansion Over the Hilltop' Jimmie Davis w the Anita Kerr Singers

3 Aug 1951 in Nashville TN Matrix NA 2440 Decca 14590

Composition: Ira Stanphill

'Near the Cross' Album by Jimmie Davis 1955